Doomed to Protect
by NemesisActual
Summary: "I just want you to know...I'll never let you or any of the others get hurt, no matter what Aizen throws at us." Ichigo is well accustomed to protecting others, but can he protect himself for a change? When an immensely powerful arrancar attacks him and Rukia, it comes down to a petite shinigami to defend him from the horrors of Hueco Mundo. Set along with my other bleach fic.


Doomed to Protect: Hollows  
**  
****So, this is the companion sorry to "Limits of the Soul: Nemu". Set four weeks after the bount arc, or a bit longer if you didn't watch that arc or are strictly manga only. (It wasn't so bad, it had kickass music)****  
****Of course, this is IchiRuki.**

**"Bold" - hollow speach****  
**  
**Karakura town,****1am**

It was a clear night over the suburbs of Karakura town, with the moon illuminating the surroundings with a pale blue glow. It was peaceful here, with the tranquility only being interrupted by the gentle breeze of the wind.

Suddenly a flash of movement interrupted the serenity of the scene. In a flash, a small, black figure appeared on a rooftop, before quickly flashing away again, just as quickly as it appeared.

The figure continued to fly over the rooftops, unknown to any of the sleeping humans below. The figure stopped on a rooftop facing the local medical clinic, and flashed towards the window, heading back to where it all began.

**Kurosaki Clinic**

The heroic substitute shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki, was currently lying half out of his bed snoring loudly, and from this display it was hard to tell that this was the same person who had charged into another dimension in order to save his friend from forces he had very little hope of defeating.

It had been four weeks since a tribe known as the Bounts were defeated, with Ichigo defeating their leader, Kariya. After that it was back to school and hollow-hunting. Despite all this, the boy had a distinct feeling that he was missing something. Rukia had gone back to Soul Society three days ago, after patrolling for the last four weeks to make sure that the bounts had all been defeated.

He awoke to the sound of his window being opened, and he flicked on the lamp on his desk, revealing...the girl he had rescued, the petite Rukia Kuchiki.

Ichigo groggily rubbed his eyes and struggled to sit up in his bed.

"Rukia? What are you doing here?" he asked tiredly. The shinigami looked at him.

"Was that some kind of greeting?" she asked, causing a vein in Ichigo's forehead to twitch.

"In case you shinigami don't have clocks it's one in the morning, what do you expect me to say, midget," he grumbled, and immediately regretted it. He felt Rukia's reiatsu gather, and instinctively sank into his bed.

"So I'm a midget, am I?" she asked menacingly. Ichigo quickly backpedaled.

"Well-you see-umm," he began, but he was surprised when Rukia's expression softened. "Rukia?" Surprisingly, she sighed.

"I'm so tired of it all, Ichigo," she said tiredly, sitting down on the end of Ichigo's bed. The substitute shinigami put on his serious face.

"Rukia? What's the matter?" he asked, and Rukia narrowed her eyes.

"I told you, you fool. I'm tired of it all," she replied wearily. Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"How's that?" he asked. Rukia turned to look at him, and he noticed that her violet eyes appeared troubled.

"I'm tired of this whole 'Aizen is coming' thing. All we seem to do is hear about Aizen, it's driving me crazy," she sighed, as Ichigo was giving her his full attention. He didn't like seeing his friends troubled.

"We've had your assault on Seireitei, then Aizen's betrayal, and then these Bounts...and now I'm here because of strange reiatsu around the town...it just doesn't seem to end," she said, and Ichigo was surprised by how worried she seemed over it.

"Strange reiatsu?" he asked, curious.

"We'll of course YOU haven't felt it. Captain Suì-Fēng's men set up reiatsu detectors around the town just to make sure that there wasn't anymore bounts around. Something's triggered the traps, and it wasn't bounts or hollows," she said uneasily.

"And that's why you're here to investigate?" Rukia nodded. Ichigo gave her his trademark grin, oozing confidence.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Rukia. Even if it is something out to get us, we'll beat it," he said confidently. Rukia found her fears alleviated, if only just.

"Well, if it does turn out to be something, are you just going to do the usual and charge in?" she asked, with a slight smile on her face. Ichigo nodded, grinning.

"You bet, works every time," he replied, and Rukia shook her head, but she was smiling.

"Such a fool," she whispered, although she was feeling better than she was a few minutes ago.

"And you're vertically challenged," he laughed, which earned him a punch. "What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the impact site.

"Because. I felt like it," Rukia replied smugly. She suddenly remembered something.

"Oh! Lieutenant Kurotsuchi asked me to thank you for pulling her out of the rubble," she said. Ichigo looked blank.

"Who's that?" he asked. Rukia was practically hitting herself at Ichigo's stupidity.

"The girl in the SRDI after Kariya broke in? The one who have Uryū that bangle?" she said. Ichigo suddenly smiled.

"Oh, her. It's no problem," he said.

"She's not here you moron, say it to her if you see her...she's been hanging around our division lately, I think she and Ukitake have become friends," she replied thoughtfully. There was silence after that, which was interrupted when Ichigo took on a serious face.

"I just want you to know...I'll never let you or any of the others get hurt, no matter what Aizen throws at us," he said, and Rukia could see the resolve burning in his eyes. His voice was honest and determined, and Rukia could tell that it was a promise he intended to keep.

"But who will stop you from getting hurt? Do you ever think of that?" she replied, voice wavering slightly. She hated seeing her friends get hurt, especially if it was to protect her. Ichigo was the worst when it came to this. He often flung himself into impossible odds to protect his friends, and normally ended up badly injured, such as when he charged Renji back when Rukia was being taken back to Soul Society, and again when he fought her brother at the execution grounds so that she could get away. She hated seeing the outcome.

"You can't protect everyone...all the time," she continued, knowing that it was impossible to talk sense into the boy.

"Maybe, but I can try my best...Rukia, this isn't like you, what's wrong?" he asked, concern apparent in his eyes.

"I just don't...want to-," whatever the petite shinigami was going to say was cut off by Ichigo's combat pass going off.

"You can tell me later, come on!" Ichigo said, pressing the pass against his body and emerging as a shinigami. Rukia nodded shakily.

"R-right," she replied, leaping out the window into the night sky, followed by Ichigo, ready to defeat the malevolent spirit.

-o0o-

They reached one of the large parks in the suburbs of Karakura town. It was quiet save for a small hollow roaming around, causing Ichigo to groan.

"This little thing?" Ichigo asked out loud. He had gotten up for this?

"Don't underestimate an enemy based on stature, Ichigo," Rukia scolded.

"Yeah, because you're dangerous and look at your stature," Ichigo muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Well, we better hurry up and purify this hollow," Rukia said, drawing her zanpakutō, which caused Ichigo to blink in confusion.

"When did you get that back?" he asked. She shot him a smug smile.

"I've been regaining my powers for a while now, but I was able to regain my zanpakutō at Urahara's a few days ago," she said, happy that she seemed to have surprised him.

She moved and slashed through the hollow's mask, causing the creature to evaporate instantly. After that she sheathed her sword.

"Well that was a waste of time," Ichigo grumbled. Rukia was about to call him a fool when they were interrupted.

**"Wow, you shinigami actually fell for it!"** came a laughing voice that immediately put the two friends on edge.

"That spiritual pressure...I can't tell who or what that was," Rukia said, drawing her sword again. Ichigo drew his as well, and the pair scanned the bushes and trees of the park, looking for a potential threat.

Rukia's eyes widened as a jet of fire tore through the darkness towards them.

"Ichigo, look out!" she yelled as the two narrowly dodged the white-hot blast. It exploded where they had been standing only moments before, spreading towering flames along the grass of the park.

The two shinigami readied themselves again, this time more vigilant. Just a few moments after the first blast another huge fire blast appeared, causing the two to dodge.

"What the hell is this?!" Ichigo called out. Rukia couldn't sense any reiatsu. These attacks seemed to be coming out of thin air.

"Stay alert, Ichigo...I think that the culprit is hiding their spiritual pressure," Rukia warned, grasping the handle of her sword tighter. Ichigo nodded.

Rukia took a deep breath and focused, searching for any trace of reiatsu. There was nothing. She hated this.

A jet of fire spiraled towards Ichigo, causing him to flash-step in order to dodge. Rukia closed her eyes and tried to find the culprit.

"Show yourself you bastard!" Ichigo yelled. He was greeted only be silence, until a voice interrupted.

**"There would be no fun in that, shinigami,"** it said mockingly. The voice had a raspy, brittle quality, and seemed to be coming from nowhere. Ichigo gripped Zangetsu tighter, ready to counterattack when the opportunity arose.

Rukia was much calmer, and closed her eyes, searching for any traces of reiatsu. The fire attacks were coming from different directions each time, which meant that the foe was actively changing positions.

"Rukia, look out!" she heard Ichigo yell, and she felt heat coming towards her. She opened her eyes to find Ichigo deflecting the blast with Zangetsu.

**"Heh...this is no fun, shinigami! Hurry up and die!"** the unseen voice rasped. Rukia was almost sure she felt some reiatsu whenever that attack had been released.

"Ichigo, I think we're dealing with a shinigami here," she said, causing Ichigo to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why a shinigami?" he asked, scanning the area around him.

"Hollows can hide from sight, but they cannot hide their reiatsu like shinigami can," she said. Ichigo thought about this and nodded.

"Well, how are we going to get this guy to drop his guard then?" he asked. Rukia gave a thoughtful look.

"We could just attack the whole area around us. If the enemy gets hit it might break their concentration and they may be revealed," she suggested. Ichigo grinned.

"Destroying whole areas is my speciality," he grinned, having destroyed many buildings in the Seireitei with ease. The two stood back to back.

"Alright then, we'll do it in three...two...one...go!" Rukia yelled, and Ichigo immediately fired a Getsuga Tenshō into the bushes in front of him, consuming them in a mighty explosion.

"Hadō thirty-one. Shakkahō!" Rukia yelled, blasting a crimson fireball from her palm, resulting in an earth shattering explosion. Both attacks through up large amounts of smoke and dust, obscuring the view of the park around them.

Rukia's eyes narrowed as she saw the smoke being distorted, as if something was standing there. She decided to find out.

"Hadō thirty-three, Sōkatsui!" she called, sending a crackling blast of energy at the distortion. It exploded, and the mystery enemy was revealed.

To their surprise, it was a hollow.

The hollow had an insect-like body with six jointed legs each ending with a set of claws. At the front of the body the hollow's torso rose up, which had two pairs of small tentacles. The mask was teardrop shaped, with two horns sticking out at the top. The hollow's skin was dark red, and looked unfazed by Rukia's attack.

**"Heh...you found me, shinigami,"** the creature rasped.

"This is strange...hollows don't have elemental powers," Rukia said, and Ichigo nodded.

"Well this hollow does, and it has the ability to completely hide its presence," he replied. He didn't like this at all. Rukia nodded.

**"So you think you've figured me out, Shinigami?"** The hollow's tentacles extended and plunged into the ground, sending fissures of fire tearing towards the two shinigami. Both jumped out of the way and became separated by the flames on the ground. The hollow chuckled to itself, relishing its new powers.

It fired a huge column of fire at Ichigo since he was the greater threat. The substitute dodged and retaliated with a Getsuga Tenshō. The blast smashed into the hollow and exploded, throwing up more smoke.

Rukia flash stepped beside Ichigo.

"Did you get him?" she asked. Ichigo nodded.

"I think so," he replied, observing the dust cloud. Hollows were generally killed in a single Getsuga Tenshō attack, but he knew not to let his guard down.

Suddenly a massive blast of reiastu staggered the two shinigami. The spiritual pressure was massive.

"This hollow...it's so strong," Rukia said through gritted teeth. The last time they had faced a hollow this strong had been when that Menos Grande had appeared and attacked Ichigo and Uyru.

They were interrupted by the hollow's chuckle.

**"I'm going to fry you both,"** it laughed, sending a flurry of small fireballs at the two. They blocked the projectiles with their swords, however Ichigo was frustrated about being on the defensive. Despite a warning from Rukia, he flash-stepped in front of the hollow and have a mighty slash. He was pleased to see blood on Zangetsu's blade as he made his way back to Rukia.

**"Is that all you got, kid?" **the hollow sneered, and Ichigo's eyes widened. Although a slash like that would normally be enough to decapitate the hollow, this hollow had only suffered a small cut.

**"It's only polite to learn name of your killer, shinigami. I am Ceniza, and you cannot defeat me,"** the creature bellowed, accompanied by a huge shockwave of reiastu.

The hollow then disappeared and reappeared behind Rukia, and swung a flame coated tentacle at her before she realized what was happening. She heard a grunt and looked around to see Ichigo holding the tentacle back with Zangetsu, protecting her. She could tell that the hollow was overwhelming him slowly, and she quickly acted.

With one clean slash, she cut off the end of the tentacle, spewing blood all over the ground. The hollow cried out and began charging a crimson cero in front of its mask.

"Look out!" The two shinigami barely managed to dodge the beam.

"This is freakin' ridiculous," Ichigo grunted, and Rukia found herself agreeing. Why was this hollow so strong?

"Hadō thirty one, Shakkahō!" Rukia launched a crimson fireball at the beast. For a moment it looked like it was going to hot, but the hollow raised a wall of flames as shield. Her kidō exploded on the shield harmlessly. Ichigo had enough is this.

"Bankai," he murmered, and Rukia was knocked over by a huge burst of reiatsu as Ichigo's bankai took form. When the reiastu stopped, he appeared in his familiar bankai state, wielding his deadly black katana. In a flash, he was gone and huge cut appeared on the hollow's torso, spraying gore into the air.

**"Damn you, you'll pay for that!" **the hollow yelled, and blasted a jet of fire at the orange-haired boy. He evaded it and retaliated with a red-black Getsuga Tenshō, which pushed the hollow back and opened up numerous cuts across its body. Quickly, Ichigo swung at the hollow's mask, but was blocked by the huge flame-shield.

"You're not so tough now, hollow," Ichigo taunted, waiting for the flames to subside. A rumbling laugh was the only response he got. With the speed of lightning, a tentacle flew through the flames-and straight through Ichigo's shoulder, sending flecks of blood into the air. Ichigo gave a silent cry, before recovering and slashing through the tentacle. He flash-stepped back to Rukia.

Rukia looked at the blood seeping from his shoulder.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" she asked, concern evident in her voice. He nodded.

"I'm fine but we're gonna need a plan to defeat this guy," he replied, lifting his sword. Rukia nodded.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and claw out your own throat! Bakudō number nine, Geki!" Rukia drew a red symbol in the air with her finger, and the hollow became engulfed in red light.

**"You think you can hold me with such a pathetic spell?"** the hollow gloated, but Rukia ignored it.

"Ichigo, that will buy us some time. I have a plan," she said, and Ichigo nodded.

"I'll force him to bring up his shield, and once it's up I'll take it down with my kidō, you can then follow up with your Getsuga Tenshō and have a clear hit. That should stun him, so then move in and slash through his mask," she said, keeping her attention onto the hollow struggling against her spell. Ichigo nodded.

"Sounds good, let's go!" he replied, readying himself as the hollow broke free.

**"You're in for it now!"** it bellowed. Rukia began the plan.

"Hadō four, Byakurai!" A bolt of lightning flew towards the hollow, who raised his wall of flames. Rukia was ready and raised her hands.

"Hadō number fifty-eight, Tenran!" she cried, releasing a huge blast of wind. The flames were blown away, creating an opportunity for Ichigo. He flew in with impressive speed, ready to swing his blade.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" The huge black-red blast flew into the hollow, hitting it directly with a large explosion and throwing up large amounts of smoke. Ichigo now moved in for his follow up attack- and was promptly hit by a crimson cero, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Ichigo!" Rukia cried. That cero looked powerful and the hollow had charged it very quickly. The hollow decided to quickly follow up by extending its needle-like tentacles, aiming to spear Ichigo's prone form.

Rukia acted fast. She quickly put herself between Ichigo and the tentacle, and blocked it with her zanpakutō. It smashed against her blade with huge force, pushing her back but she managed to save Ichigo.

**"I repeat, is that all you got?"** the hollow barked, and Rukia watched in horror as flames ran down the tentacle like a line of gunpowder. Once it reached her zanpakutō, it exploded, sending her tumbling along the ground.

As she struggled to get up the hollow loomed over her.

**"Maybe I should kill you first, you insect,"** it bellowed, and Rukia reached for her zanpakutō, wishing that it was some other element rather than ice right now. The hollow's flames would likely incinerate whatever ice she could generate.

She shakily stood up and took her stance. The hollow responded by extending its tentacle towards her. Rukia had no hope of deflecting such a powerful attack and thought that she was going to be impaled.

Suddenly there was a flash and blood splattered over Rukia. Her eyes widened as Ichigo stood between her, the tentacle stabbing deep into his midriff. He grunted and clenched his teeth, but held on. He went to lift his zanpakutō to cut through the meaty tentacle when another tentacle wrapped itself around his sword.

**"I don't think so, shinigami,"** the hollow snapped, and flames began to run along the tentacle through Ichigo's abdomen. Rukia recognized the attack and acted quickly. She cut through both of the tentacles and grabbed Ichigo, and performed a quick flash step.

They reappeared behind a high wall somewhere else in the park. Rukia propped Ichigo up against the wall, and he looked up at her.

"Thanks," he managed, and Rukia shook her head.

"Why did you take that attack? He could've killed you," she said, voice wavering slightly. Ichigo smiled.

"I told you I wouldn't let you get hurt," he replied seriously. Rukia shook her head.

"Don't be such a fool," she said quietly, running her eyes over his injuries. He had two major stab wounds and burn marks all over his body.

"This is insane, that hollow's overwhelming my bankai," Ichigo said, and Rukia nodded. How was the hollow so strong? Rukia noticed Ichigo slowly getting up.

"Ichigo, you can't fight like that!" she shouted, and Ichigo flashed her his trademark grin.

"I'm fine, I've had a lot worse, believe me," he said, grabbing his zanpakutō. He was right, compared to other battles he wasn't badly injured.

"How the hell are we going to beat this thing?" he asked, frustrating that he was being beaten by a mere hollow. Rukia shook her head.

"We've tried kidō and direct attacks, but it doesn't seem to be doing much damage," she replied.

"And we can't get close to cut its head off," Ichigo said in thought. Rukia noticed something.

"He doesn't seem to be regenerating," she said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, so?" Ichigo replied, not seeing what she was on to.

"You cut off one of his tentacles and I cut off two, and that leaves one. He hasn't regenerated any f them," she replied, and Ichigo thought about it and nodded, still not seeing where she was going.

"What does that mean?" he asked, feeling stupid.

"I've only just noticed, but he generates all his flame attacks with his tentacles," Rukia continued and Ichigo's eyes widened.

"So if we cut off the last one, he can't shoot fire at us or raise his barrier," he realized, liking where Rukia was going.

"Or stab us. It would leave him with just his cero attacks," she finished.

"So what are gonna do?" Ichigo asked, standing up. Rukia thought for a moment.

"If I can restrain him with my bakudō, you can cut off the last tentacle. After that we both attack and shatter the mask," she said, and Ichigo nodded.

"Let's go," he said, and the two leaped over the wall. They saw the hollow back where they had left him.

**"I thought you weaklings chickened out on me,"** it laughed, raising its one remaining arm, and it blasted a huge vortex of fire at the two, and they quickly dodged. Rukia got ready.

"Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudō number sixty-one, Rikujokōrō!" she called out, blasting six wedges of light at the hollow. They slammed into its torso and held it in place.

"That won't stop my cero!" it roared, and the two were forced to dodge a huge crimson blast. Ichigo quickly swooped in and slashed through the last tentacle, just as the hollow broke through Rukia's spell.

"Try your fire attacks now," Ichigo said with a grin.

**"Damn you, you bastard,"** the creature swore, and fired a huge cero at him, but he dodged and leapt back to Rukia.

"Ichigo, be careful. His cero seems to have gotten faster and more powerful," she warned, and Ichigo nodded, raising Zangetsu.

"Time to finish this, Rukia," he said, and Rukia nodded. The two flash-stepped above the hollow, and quickly attacked for massive damage. Ichigo carved through the hollow's mask from the side, casing areas of it to cave in and torrents of blood to spill out. Rukia slashed down the middle, cleaving a huge wound from the forehead to the bottom of the mask. The two leapt back to admire their handiwork.

Their eyes widened.

"It's...still alive," Rukia said with disbelief. The hollow's mask was shattered and caved in, with huge amounts of blood seeping through the cracks.

**"You...blasted...shinigami...bastards,"** it wheezed laboriously.

"I'll see you...in hell," it added, and a massive cero began to charge in front of its mask. The cero grew in size rapidly, after just a few seconds it was larger than the hollow itself.

Rukia and Ichigo stared wide-eyed at the massive attack charging before them. It wasn't likely they could dodge an attack that large, and blocking it was out of the question.

They were done for.

-o0o-

As the two shinigami watched the swelling cero in horror, they suddenly felt a huge wave of reiatsu that didn't feel like any hollow or shinigami, staggering both of them down to one knee, even Ichigo in his bankai form.

A white bolt pierced the hollow's torso, and it cried out, with the cero dissipating harmlessly. A perfect circle had been blasted through the hollow. The hollow turned around, blood still leaking from the mask.

**"What...do...you want?"** it said to someone out of sight of the two shinigami.

"Oh, my dear Ceniza, you're forgetting the deal we had," a calm female voice said from somewhere out of sight. The voice was calm and in monotone, but it managed to contain malice and dread. Ichigo looked at Rukia, who gave a worried look back.

"Look...I'm about to kill...them," the hollow stuttered.

"Are you sure that they're not about to kill you, Ceniza? Is this how you repay Lord Aizen for giving you power?" the voice replied.

**"Listen...don't tell...Aizen,"** the hollow pleaded, causing Ichigo and Rukia's eyes to widen.

"Aizen is behind this?" Rukia said to herself, and Ichigo grunted.

"Bastard," he swore, gripping Tensa Zangetsu tighter. The conversation between the hollow and the mystery voice continued.

"Oh, my dear hollow, he already knows. It's time for you to go," the voice continued, and Rukia got a feeling that the owner was smirking while she was saying this.

**"No...please don't kill me,"** Ceniza pleaded, but another white blast of light tore through his mask, causing it to explode. The now-headless hollow collapsed into the ground and evaporated.

The two shinigami heard the sound of someone clapping, and a figure appeared out of thin air where the hollow had been. Ichigo and Rukia's eyes widened when they saw her.

A slim woman stood facing them, but she didn't look completely human. She had long red hair and soft features, but what caught the attention of the shinigami was the white mask covering her left eye and part of her left cheek, which looked eerily like the mask of a hollow.

She wore a white jacket with an upturned collar and black highlights, along with a skirt that came down to her mid-thigh with a similar colour scheme. She wore a yellow sash around her waist with a zanpakutō sheathed on it. Her jacket was open the top slightly, showing a tatoo saying '101'.

"A hollow mask...and a zanpakutō? What is she?" Ichigo asked aloud. Rukia had no idea.

"I do apologise on behalf of Cineza hear, you deserved better than someone like him," she said with no expression on her face.

"Who are you?" Rukia asked. She shook her head.

"My name is Viteri Rosalva, and I am an Arrancar," she replied, and her voice seemed slightly amused.

"A what?" Ichigo asked. Rukia shrugged. Suddenly Viteri appeared in front of Rukia and drew her zanpakutō, and then quickly slashing all in one fluid motion. Rukia barely managed to block in time.

"You actually blocked, well done," the Arrancar taunted. Rukia grit her teeth as she struggled under the power of the attack. Ichigo ran to attack Viteri from the side, but she raised to him.

"Cero." A white cero blasted from her palm and hit the ground at Ichigo's feet, sending him tumbling. While she was distracted, Rukia took a hand from her sword and raised it up.

"Hadō thirty-three, Sōkatsui!" She fired a crackling blue blast at Viteri, who easily dodged and reappeared opposite the two. Ichigo recovered and charged at her. Viteri blocked his strike, and then kicked him in the jaw, causing him to flinch and loosen the grip on his zanpakutō. She then grabbed the blade with her bare hand and wrenched from his grip, and dropped it on the ground, and then slashed Ichigo along his chest, spraying blood over her white jacket. She then followed up with a kick, sending him backwards.

Rukia knew she had to act quickly. She raised her zanpakutō.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki," she stated, turning the sword in front of her. It became white and a white ribbon came out of the handle, sending cold air blasting out around her.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren," she said softly, and then sticking the blade in the ground several times, causing ice to form around her sword. She aimed the weapon at Viteri, and then released a huge blast of freezing air at her. The arrancar moved to the side to avoid it, only to find a Shakkahō blasted at her from Rukia. It hit her straight on, and Rukia used the moment to run to Ichigo, helping him up.

"That's a pretty nice sword you've got," he said as he stood up.

"This isn't the time, Ichigo! She's really strong, and you're still injured," she berated. Ichigo grimly nodded, picking up Tensa Zangetsu.

A white cero blasted at the two, forcing them to dodge.

"Rukia, run and get help," Ichigo said to his friend.

"What? Ichigo you need me to be here, you can't fight her alone!" Rukia shouted back.

"We're not strong enough to beat her! I can hold her off with my bankai while you get Chad and the others," he replied. Rukia shook her head.

"I'm not leaving. If I hadn't have used my shikai there, she would have killed you, and I'm sure the others have sensed her by now and are coming to help," Rukia yelled. A white cero flew at her, and she countered it with a Shakkahō.

In a flash, Viteri appeared beside Rukia and slashed. Rukia barely managed to block with her white sword. Ichigo then attacked Viteri from behind. He slashed her, but his sword only left a small cut. She punched Ichigo in the jaw and then smacked Rukia with the hilt of her sword and leapt backwards.

"Your bankai is very strong, Kurosaki, but I'm stronger," she taunted, and Ichigo flew at her with blinding speed. He gave a furious flurry of attacks which Rukia's eyes couldn't keep up with. Viteri was blocking or dodging every single strike.

She chose her moment, and counter-attacking, stabbing Ichigo in the stomach, and then kicking him up into the air. He recovered and blasted a huge Getsuga Tenshō at her, and she countered with her white cero.

"Hadō thirty-two, Ōkasen!" Rukia blasted an arc of yellow energy from the blade of her zanpakutō. The Arrancar dodged easily and fired a cero back at her. Rukia countered with Sōkatsui, an explosion blossomed between the two attacks.

Ichigo attacked again, slashing at Viteri. She blocked his attack, and kicked at him, but he dodged and swung his sword again. Before she could counterattack he had flash stepped away and came at her from behind. She again blocked his attack with ease.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" Rukia blasted another vortex of chilled air at Viteri who didn't dodge. She became completely encased in ice. Ichigo went back to Rukia's side.

"Don't let your guard down...I don't think that's going to hold her back," Rukia warned, raising her zanpakutō. As if on the cue the ice shattered, revealing a very much alive Viteri.

"Nice try, Rukia Kuchiki," she taunted with a smirk, and Rukia was going to ask her about how she knew her name when Ichigo gave another assault against Viteri.

He swung at her multiple times, and she dodged his attacks easily. She slashed back, and Ichigo dodged before attacking again.

Rukia noticed that Viteri had initially been wielding her sword with both hands, but she had just switched to one hand. The Arrancar and Ichigo collided, blades against each other's in a stalemate. Then Rukia saw it- and realized why Viteri had switched to one hand.

"Ichigo, look out!" Rukia shouted, as Viteri raised her hand to Ichigo's chest.

"Cero." A white light blasted into Ichigo, sending him flying into the ground, blood bursting out if his mouth.

"Consider yourself lucky that I held back there, otherwise you would have a hole in your chest," Viteri said, walking over to Ichigo, who was down on one knee. She stopped in front of him, and had a vicious uppercut with her sword, spraying blood into the air. Ichigo fell onto his back, and Viteri then plunged her blade into his side, causing him to cry out.

"Don't worry...I'm not going to kill you, I've been ordered to take you alive. As for your friend, though..." Viteri trailed off menacingly. As Viteri raised her blade over Ichigo, no doubt going to continue to torture him, a crimson fireball flew from Rukia and hit the Arrancar directly.

When the smoke cleared, Viteri was standing there, bleeding from just above her eye.

"Wow, you actually hurt me," she sad to Rukia, who was standing there horrified. Ichigo was motionless on the ground.

"Well, he's out for a while...which means you're next," Viteri said menacingly. Rukia narrowed her eyes and readied her sword.

"Why does Aizen want Ichigo?" Rukia asked angrily.

"I don't know. I don't directly work for Aizen, but my master does and he was told to take the boy so I'm taking him," Viteri said, as if it was the most trivial thing in the world.

"But, if I had a guess, I'd say he's gonna to have something done to him and then end up as mush afterwards," she continued, angering Rukia, who then charged at her.

"I won't let you!" she yelled, readying her sword. Viteri shook her head, and swung her fist, releasing a red ball of energy that slammed into Rukia, dropping her to one knee just like Ichigo had been.

"You make good target practice for my bala," Viteri said, and Rukia got back up. The shinigami took a deep breath and readied herself.

"Ichigo, you've always protected me...this time, I'm going to protect you," she said, spitting blood. Suddenly the petite shinigami flash-stepped just in front of the arrancar and swung with all her might, determined to get the Arrancar away from Ichigo. Her anger-infused reiastu strengthened and her blade tore through the Viteri's chest in a powerful diagonal slash. It was a deep and long cut, spraying blood all over Sode no Shirayuki's pure white blade. The arrancar's eyes widened slightly as she was cut, but she reacted quickly by slashing Rukia viciously before the shinigami could withdraw.

Rukia's eyes widened as she felt the blade tear through her, and the arrancar followed up by stabbing her through the stomach, causing the girl to fall to the ground with a cry.

Ichigo faded in and out of consciousness. He saw Rukia's attack on Viteri, and was glad when she seemed to have delivered a serious wound to the arrancar, but the world faded again before the next part of the battle.

When everything came back into view, Ichigo was horrified to see Rukia lying on her side, blood streaming from her abdomen and chest, staining her robes.

Viteri stood over her, sword raised, ready to give the killing blow.

"Rukia...I've...protect her..." Ichigo said, blood streaming from his mouth. He rolled over onto his stomach and began to crawl, but the pain stopped him before he got far.

He remembered what she said.

"You've always protected me...now I'm going to protect you."

He felt only despair, that his closest friend was about to be coldly executed, because of him. It just wasn't fair.

"I've...got to...protect...Rukia," Ichigo managed, before his head fell into the grass and his vision went black.

**"Lemme help you with that, King."**

-o0o-

Just as Viteri was about to plunge her blade into Rukia's heart, a huge wave of spiritual pressure staggered Viteri and the arrancar looked back at the source: Ichigo.

"What the hell?" She managed through gritted teeth. He was unconscious and badly injured a moment ago, and he had this much energy left.

Rukia looked on with wide eyes as Ichigo began to get up, despite the blood flowing from his wounds. She gasped suddenly when she saw his face.

Part of a mask was forming over his left eye, which had become black with a yellow iris. His right eye was similar in colour as left, and white material was forming in the air and adding to the mask- the mask of a hollow.

"What's happening to him?" she asked fearfully. Her eyes widened as she heard 'Ichigo' laugh- a high pitched and sadistic voice coming from his body.

**"Heh...Ichigo, what a weakling you are! You couldn't even beat this bitch?"** the voice said, giggling. The sound sent shivers down Rukia's spine.

"Who the hell are you?" Viteri demanded, pointing her sword at the figure.

**"Heheh...I don't really see the point in having a name, and I think you talk too much, arrancar,"** the voice said, and suddenly 'Ichigo' charged towards Viteri. He swung with huge force, and Rukia could tell that she was struggling to block.

**"Wow, you're weak!"** 'Ichigo' said, and Viteri narrowed her eyes.

"Cero!" She blasted her white cero at Ichigo, who deflected it with his bare hand. Viteri and Rukia gasped simultaneously.

**"You're an even worse fighter than Ichigo!"** the hollow giggled, and he released an enormous Getsuga Tenshō that stuck Viteri head on, resulting in a gigantic explosion. When the smoke cleared, Viteri was panting, and her jacket was ripped, exposing her stomach, which had a hollow hole through it, causing Rukia's eyes to widen.

"Is an arrancar...a hollow?" she asked quietly, but her attention was quickly focused back on the fight.

'Ichigo' charged at Viteri, giggling. Her eyes widened as he slashed from her stomach to her chest, spraying blood everywhere. 'Ichigo' followed up with a lateral slash that cut through Viteri's midriff, causing her to cry out in pain.

She barely managed to block the third attack, and Rukia could not believe that she was being overwhelmed so suddenly. Judging by the look on her face, Viteri could not believe it either.

'Ichigo' attacked again, and Viteri raised her zanpakutō to block the attack. She gasped when the black katana tore through her own sword and broke it in two. Rukia gasped at the display of the power. Tensa Zangetsu kept going and tore through Viteri again, spraying blood over the grass. She cried out and fell on her back. The demon loomed over her, sword raised high.

Just as whatever was possessing Ichigo was about to deliver the killing blow, he stopped, and started screaming.

**"No! Go away, I've got this!"** The mask began to crack and splinter, and fell onto the ground and shattered, with a unearthly shriek from Ichigo as the mask fell, leaving behind black reishi in the air. Ichigo's face returned to normal, and he looked at Rukia.

"Rukia...I...run," he managed, and Rukia watched with horror as he began to fall, blood streaming from his wounds.

"Ichigo!" she called out, and suddenly a bala flew into Ichigo, sending him crashing to the ground with a sickening crunch.

Rukia was silent as Viteri got up and shakily walked over to Ichigo.

"He's alive," she said, and then she walked away him, with her back to the two shinigami.

"Descorrer," she said, and a black hole in the shape of an eye appeared in the air. Out of it came four shinigami, much to Rukia's surprise.

The shinigami had blank looks on their faces and looked utterly lifeless. Two picked up Ichigo and another picked up his sword.

"Take...take him back to master...," Viteri wheezed, blood soaking her body. She placed her broken zanpakutō back in its sheath. The shinigami began to run back to the portal, and Viteri looked back at Rukia.

"I'm letting you...live...but if I ever...see you again...you won't ...have him to save you," she said laboriously. Her eyes widened.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" a familiar voice yelled, and a segmented blade smashed into one of the shinigami accompanying Viteri, the one carrying Tensa Zangetsu. She swore and looked around, only to see a huge blue blast smash into the two shinigami carrying Ichigo. They fell and dropped him to the ground.

"Shibari, Benihime." A red and black net fell over the last shinigami, pinning him to the ground.

Rukia looked around to see Chad, Orihime, Renji, Uryū and Urahara. Renji and Urahara had their zanpakutō drawn, and Chad had activated his own powers.

"You're not going anywhere," Renji said to Viteri.

"I highly doubt that," she shot back, and fired a white cero at the ground in front of them, throwing up huge amounts of dust and smoke.

"She's using it to cover her escape!" Urahara shouted, and the group ran through the smoke. Viteri picked up Ichigo and his zanpakutō, and ran for the garganta.

Renji swung Zabimaru at her, but she dodged and fired a bala back as she ran, forcing Urahara to summon Benihime's shield to block the attack.

Once the shield faded, they saw that the arrancar was entering the garganta.

"No..." Rukia whispered. Ichigo was slung over the arrancar's shoulder, and he looked back at Rukia and weakly stretched out his hand.

"R...ukia..." she heard him say, and she managed to get up despite her wounds and run after him.

"ICHIGO!" she cried, picking up her zanpakutō and shakily running towards the portal. Just as she was almost there, it closed.

"No...," she whispered, and collapsed to her knees and dropped her zanpakutō.

A tear ran down her face. Her closest friend, taken while trying to defend her. Taken to Hueco Mundo, where he would likely endure all kinds of sickening torture.

Rukia sat there, fighting back the urge to cry as Renji swore and threw Zabimaru down. Urahara and Uryū looked grim. Orihime looked devastated. Even Chad looked distressed.

Ichigo was gone.

"Ichigo..."

**Well I hoped you liked this. This fic is a companion story to my story "Limits of the Soul: Nemu". The two stories will lead into the same sequel. If you liked this I'd be appreciative if you read the other story too.****My update schedule is pretty irregular but I'll probably alternate chapters between my two stories. I find this one easier to write since IchiRuki is based upon canon, while the UkiNemu pairing in "LOS:N" has no canon basis and thus is harder for me to write, but they're both my favourite pairings, along with Byakula and Nemu or Renji and Isane.****Reviews are love, Reviews are life. (Especially since writing this chapter seems to have given me carpal tunnel syndrome)**


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